(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise devices and more particularly to a football blocking sled. This type of equipment is used by high school football teams and a high school football coach would be one having ordinary skill in the art.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Many blocking sleds were on the market before my invention. For example, before my invention the athlete would face the coach riding on a sled. Some sleds provided that the athlete would straddle runners to train the athlete to keep his feet apart.
Some sleds have a roller thereon so that as the blocking pad is pushed upward the roller lifts the sled making it easier to move.
Also before my invention, a chute was on the market. The chute had structure over the athlete to train him to keep his body low. The chute was not a sled and did not include a blocking dummy.
Before this application was filed, a search was made in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That search developed the following patents: Malagio, U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,188; Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,953; Drakulich, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,810; Hornak et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,574; Rogers, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,690; Visco, U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,948; Rogers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,571.
Rogers illustrates a drag structure to train the athlete to keep his feet wide apart.
Visco discloses a football blocking training apparatus which has a vertical post with a dummy mounted on it by passing the post through a sleeve on the dummy.
Applicant believes that the remaining patents of the search would be of interest to the Examiner. These patents are considered pertinent because the applicant believes the Examiner would consider anything revealed by the search to be relevant and pertinent to the examination of this application.